The present invention relates generally to the field of geophysical exploration and more particularly to an improvement in processing and displaying geophysical data so as to enhance the evaluation and interpretation of subtle variations in the earth's geological and lithological structures.
As geophysical data acquisition and processing techniques have advanced, the dynamic range of geophysical data has increased from about 12-18 db to as high as 132 db. However, conventional black-and-white wiggle trace plots of such geophysical data have only a dynamic range display capability of approximately 12 to 18 db. While the application of color to the display of geophysical data can increase the displayed dynamic range somewhat, the non-noise corrupted signal contained in present day geophysical data still has substantially greater dynamic range than current display techniques can portray.
In view of the increased information contained in present day geophysical data, a novel method of processing and displaying geophysical data has been developed. In particular, the present invention provides a method for compressing the dynamic range of seismic data so that the compressed seismic data can be displayed on dynamic range limited seismic plots so as to portray more of the dynamic range of the seismic data and thus enhance the geophysical data interpreter's ability to evaluate and interpret subtle variations in the earth's geological and lithological structures.